TUESDAY, DEC. 1, 2015

FISHING -- Sobering numbers from the drought-ravaged 2015 Columbia River sockeye salmon run have been released by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: Of the 512,000 sockeye that returned to the mouth of the Columbia this summer, Fisheries and Oceans Canada staff report only...

FRIDAY, OCT. 16, 2015

WILDLIFE WATCHING -- The black bear that Washington Fish and Wildlife officers are currently attempting to catch in North Spokane is another indicator that the 2015 drought has left some wildlife short on food. The bear is in a neighborhood near Nevada and Lyons. Officers...

FRIDAY, SEPT. 11, 2015

FISHING -- Drought related fishing restrictions imposed in July will be lifted or changed on Sept. 16 for many Eastern Washington streams including the Spokane and Kettle rivers, Washington Fish and Wildlife officials have announced. Today's announcement follows last week's revision to emergency rules in...

TUESDAY, SEPT. 8, 2015

WATERSPORTS -- The annual drawdown of Lake Coeur d'Alene won't be necessary this year. The 2015 drought already took care of that task. Avista usually begins the fall drawdown of Coeur d’Alene Lake starting the Tuesday after Labor Day. The goal is to have the...

RIVERS -- The fishing report for about 100 yards of the St. Regis River near Haugan was pretty bleak last week because -- the stretch went dry. The river flows from the Lookout Pass area east to the Clark Fork river at the town of...

THURSDAY, SEPT. 3, 2015

FISHING -- Washington fishery managers are easing drought-related fishing restrictions and closures on more than a dozen rivers where conditions have improved, but so far no changes have been announced in far-Eastern Washington streams. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials in July closed or...

FRIDAY, AUG. 28, 2015

WILDFIRES -- Be careful out there. High winds forecast for Saturday pose a major hazard to people in the vicinity of the numerous wildfires throughout the region. I've listed in my blog this morning's updates on many of the fires and fire complexes. I'm not...

THURSDAY, AUG. 27, 2015

WILDFIRES -- The lower portion of one of Idaho's signature wilderness river rafting areas has been engulfed in smoke and danger from a fire that's blown up today on the Lower Salmon River upstream from Riggins. Rafting groups are being evacuated, as S-R reporter Betsy...

WILDFIRES -- Check ahead and be careful when selecting a place to hunt, hike or boat in the next few weeks. I provide key links to agency wildfire updates that include information about some of the vast land closures in today's Outdoors story: Wildfires block...

TUESDAY, AUG. 25, 2015

WILDFIRES -- Much of the 1.1-million-acre Colville National Forest is off-limits to public access under six fire-related temporary closures, including the Vulcan closure posted today. The closures restrict popular northeastern Washington forest areas for hunting, hiking and other recreation -- including most of the Salmo-Priest...

HUNTING -- As early hunting seasons are starting to open, everybody's puckered up about the wildfires that are burning in the region and the dry conditions vulnerable to even more blowups. Rightfully so. But the calls to curtail hunting seasons are not reasonable. Access closures...

MONDAY, AUG. 24, 2015

WILDFIRES -- The video below is a Google Earth virtual fly-through of most wildfires burning in Eastern Washington, updated through noon today, Aug. 24. The fires are having a growing impact on closing public road and trail access to private and public lands throughout the...

WILDFIRES -- I flew from Seattle to Spokane this morning after 10 days off the grid in Alaska. Heartbreaking is the first word that came to mind as I watched the smoke rising from east of the Cascades and spreading eastward across the state, mixing...

MONDAY, AUG. 10, 2015

FISHING -- Most Rivers and streams in Olympic National Park were closed to recreational fishing toda as a result of a historic drought. Not only are water levels low, but the water temperature is higher this summer, the National Park Service said. Fishermen have been...

THURSDAY, AUG. 6, 2015

FISHING -- Sockeye runs in Canadian waters area suffering the same warm-water woes as the salmon in the Columbia River system. British Columbia biologist: Warm water, low levels put Fraser River sockeye at risk The Fraser River in British Columbia is a gauntlet through which...

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 5, 2015

FISHING -- Starting today, the Methow River is closed daily to fishing from 2 p.m. to midnight until further notice to reduce impact on fish stressed by warm water conditions. Here are details announced by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: Species affected: All...

TUESDAY, AUG. 4, 2015

FISHERIES -- The first sockeye salmon reached the Sawtooth Basin near Stanley on Monday, July 27 despite hot weather and warm water that prompted Idaho Fish and Game biologists to capture fish downstream to ensure survival of one of Idaho’s most endangered species. Department spokesman...

FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2015

FISHING -- Despite an early facade of excellent sockeye fishing success, the third-largest run on record is in dire straits and Washington fish managers are considering a possible early closure of the prized season in the upper Columbia River. About half the sockeye run appears...

FISHING — Federal officials say 160,000 juvenile salmon from a fish hatchery in central Oregon were transported by truck to a hatchery in Washington in an effort to save the fish from unusually high water temperatures. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday said...

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015

FISHING -- As good numbers of salmon continue to move up the Columbia and over Bonneville Dam, fish managers on Monday increased the in-season forecast for summer chinook and sockeye, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department reports. The updated forecast expects 120,000 adult summer chinook...

MONDAY, JULY 20, 2015

ENDANGERED SPECIES -- As concerns mount for the survival of the Columbia River system's sockeye run during the 2015 drought, fisheries managers are looking at unusual options. The potential losses are staggering, scientists say, as I pointed out in this revealing blog post last week....

FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015

FISHING -- "Catastrophic" is a word that's being used as scientists begin to unravel the mystery of why at least 200,000 sockeye that moved over Bonneville Dam have not made it to McNary Dam fish ladders in this summer's huge salmon runs. The sockeye woes...

FISHING -- Montana, the first Northwest state to enact drought-related fishing restrictions, is encouraging anglers to continue helping the state's wild trout beat the heat and this year's low stream flows. As the region creeps into the dog days of summer, Montana fisheries managers continue...